The designation for T.F. Green Airport is PVD, or Providence, which has been a bone of contention for Warwick officials for decades.

That’s not going to change, although with Sun Country Airlines’ announcement Tuesday, the airport will have a new place in the hearts of one of the state’s largest group of Latinos – Dominicans – and those looking for an escape from New England winters and the white beaches and tropical weather of the Caribbean.

The Minnesota-based airline will commence weekly seasonal direct flights to the Dominican Republic beginning Nov. 16, and that will be expanded to twice weekly flights – Sundays and Wednesdays – starting on Christmas Day. One-way rates as low as $190 were advertised.

Sun Country offers 81 routes from 51 airports, and in April it initiated service from Green to Nashville and the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis. In September, it will start non-stop service to Las Vegas and New Orleans.

Tuesday’s announcement was made before travel and tourism officials and a lineup of media, who have become so accustomed to additional service announcements that it has become second-page news.

In fact, later Tuesday, the media was notified of another air service announcement for the following day. Florida-based Southern Airways Express plans to enter the New England market from Green.

With such frequent announcements, Joseph Solomon pointed out that he has visited the airport many times since becoming mayor. That is a reminder that Green is in Warwick – not Providence – but Solomon said he is focused on the benefits the airport provides to both the city and the state.

“It doesn’t happen by chance, it’s a partnership,” he said. “I don’t begrudge sharing the PVD Airport.”

House Majority Leader Rep. K. Joseph Shekarchi picked up on the theme of partnership and cooperation, saying that not all prior administrations had worked so closely with the Rhode Island Airport Corp. or that the relationship was as good.

Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza hailed the service, noting that Rhode Island has one of the largest Dominican populations in the region.

“This is a big deal,” he said, noting that Dominicans make up the fifth-largest group of Latinos in the state, numbering 40,000. “Dominicans love their country and are proud of their culture.”

Kristen Wenker of Sun Country said the airline would be flying 737-800 planes with 183 seats to Punta Cana. She said she was sure the airline’s marketing department had taken into consideration the state’s Dominican population in choosing to offer the service.

Secretary of Commerce Stefan Pryor spoke of the role Virgin Pulse and Hasbro played in courting Sun Country to bring service to Rhode Island. For a moment, he seemed to stray from the topic, bringing up the series finale of “Game of Thrones.” He said he didn’t want to give anything away for those who missed the show, but added that the wheel was broken.

He used the metaphor to underscore that Iftikhar Ahmad, president and CEO of RIAC, and Jonathan Savage, chairman of the RIAC board, have broken with some old ways of doing things to advance the airport. He urged them to keep breaking wheels.

Reiterating a line he uses at the announcement of new service, Savage called on people to use or lose the service. He also gave kudos to U.S. Sen. Jack Reed for cutting through red tape so Green could meet custom requirements, allowing Norwegian Airlines to bring international fights to the airport. When the Federal Inspection Services told RIAC it would take almost two years to have facilities operational, Savage said he and Ahmad visited Reed in Washington – and in 10 weeks, the job was done.